From the year 2001 to 2009 the college football world was longing to deem the Seminoles “back” to their dominant teams of the past decades. The struggle for teams like Florida State is that the media will not allow these programs to go through the natural process of college football. They have a hard time accepting the fact that these once elite teams were now not competing for championships. Dynasties are never endless, and programs often experience peaks and valleys of success. From the late 80’s and throughout the 90’s were undoubtedly the peak of the Florida State program, and until Jimbo Fisher’s first year in 2010 as the head coach, this Seminole program was in a very deep valley.

It would take a complete overhaul of the coaching staff, as legendary coach Bobby Bowden was nudged out of the door, before this program was brought back to it’s feet. Recruiting was at an embarrassing low, as other teams were stealing desired prospects from what once was Seminole territory. One of the first steps to the resurgence of the Florida State program was to go out and recruit at an elite level once more. Coach Fisher proved to do just that.

When Fisher was still an offensive coordinator under Bowden he was reeling in big recruits to FSU. The 2008 class was the turning point in this football team’s success. This class was the first class that he recruited year-round, and it brought in players that would change the fate of this program and prove to be leaders for years to come. The classes strung together after the 2008 class were accountable for bringing the Noles back into National Spotlight.

Some of these recruits that turned the tide will be walking onto Bobby Bowden field for the last time in Garnet and Gold. Some of the notable Seminole leaders that will be donning the speared helmets one last time will be: E.J. Manuel, Vince Williams, Everett Dawkins, Tank Carradine, and Rodney Smith. You better believe there will be no better send off to this senior class than to beat the Gators one last time at home, and earn a state title for the second consecutive year. These players will be truly missed and on behalf of Seminole Nation, thank you for bringing us back.